


The Importance of Being Eloquent

by D_A_Mante



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Green Lantern - All Media Types, Justice League - All Media Types, Justice League: War
Genre: Batlantern - Freeform, Everything is a mess, Hal is ridiculous, M/M, human disasters, wtf is this even
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-23
Updated: 2016-11-23
Packaged: 2018-08-31 17:22:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8587138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/D_A_Mante/pseuds/D_A_Mante
Summary: Hal Jordan doesn't stop being confusing. Batman can't stop trying to make sense of him.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on an RP, and co-written with probably the best Batman for my Hal, [accept-nothing](http://accept-nothing.tumblr.com) / [atleastthirtyarms](http://atleastthirtyarms.tumblr.com) . Go over to that beautiful human being's tumblr. He makes funny pictures.
> 
> Heads up for the many POV shifts.

Goddammit, so that happened. Oliver just blowing up at Superman. Granted, Hal could see where the guy was coming from. Something was wrong with Supes there. Were they dealing with one of Luthor's clones again? The guy seemed normal for the most part: saving everyone and offering help. But there was the careless dismissal of the whole ordeal, like Oliver wouldn't have to deal with the GCPD seizing all the evidence. Like Bruce wouldn't have all their hides for this. Whatever was up with that, Ollie got the fuck out. Hal is thinking he's got the right idea.

Hal flies out of there and keeps an eye out for Ollie. He doesn't really understand what exactly happened in that Gotham warehouse, but Arrow could use his help more than Superman. Ollie seemed concerned about the ninjas, and Hal had taken some information before they all left the building. 

"Lantern, what do you think you're doing here?"

Hal flinches--physically, visibly flinches. The call came from out of nowhere, literally, and it sounded irritated. So, okay, he expected to run into Bats some time. But he had his guard down for the last few minutes while looking for Oliver.

"Spooky!" he greets over-cheerily to no particular direction. "Good job on the shadows today. I think that gave me a heart attack. And I'm not really doing anything except flying around and enjoying the sights." Ollie can thank him later for not mentioning him.

Batman steps from the shadows--closer than Hal expected--giving him the full intensity of the Bat Glare. "Go sightseeing somewhere else. You're not welcome in my city."

Hal just sighs in relief. The cape and cowl are a lot easier to take in than the idea of possibly getting a batarang from out of nowhere. He floats to Batman's level, his shoulders sagging.

"So you keep telling me. Can't a guy just pay a visit? Besides, there was that whole ninja thing. That. Uh." Right. He isn't supposed to know about that. "...I just happened to stumble upon. Need any help with that?"

To the surprise of no one named Hal Jordan, Batman somehow manages to intensify his glare. "If I needed your help, Lantern, I would ask for it. The situation with the 'ninja thing' is well in hand."

Hal scowls. Whatever his mood, it's very rare that the Bat doesn't rankle him.

"Yeah, of course. Because only Batman knows how to take care of Gotham. Put a sock in it," he barks, landing in front of Batman and crossing his arms. "I have 3-D scans of the whole thing. Do you want them or not?"

More glaring. Sometimes Hal wonders if Bats does that just to cover up his lack of anything to say back, but that's not the case here because eventually there's a reply. "If I say 'yes' will you leave after handing them over?"

Hal gives him a blank look. "No, I'll bum around on your couch, empty your fridge, and teach your kid to smoke weed-- Yes, I'll be outta your hair. Christ. Would it kill you to say, 'please and thank you'?"

He starts walking off--because it just seemed right to-- but quickly stops and twists to look back at Batman.

"You mind leading the way to the cave? Unless you have a mainframe in that belt of yours, of course. I don't exactly have a thumb drive with the scans." He lifts his hand and wiggles his ring finger to indicate where the data is actually stored.

He waits but gets no verbal reply. Instead Batman wordlessly touches gadgets on his belt--presumably to summon the Batmobile--and promptly jumps off the rooftop without a backward glance. Just the usual. Situation normal.

"What a dick," Hal mutters sourly, lifting off the ground and following the dark shape flapping its "wings" in the night.

He watches as Batman takes the necessary grappling hook-related actions to not splatter himself across the concrete on his way down to street level and manages to land perfectly at almost the exact moment the Batmobile arrives. Because he's the goddamn Batman. Hal swears the guy does it on purpose. Dramatics aside, the guy in the cape gets in his car, and looks over to Hal.

He rolls his eyes, stands by the car, and can't help but comment. "My parents warned me about this: strange men trying to get me into their strange cars." But he gets in anyway and curiously looks around. Then he turns to Batman. "You do know I fly, right?"

"I didn't say you have to get in. However the car allows for the two things you lack: subtlety and stealth."

He says while the top of the least subtle car in the world slides closed.

Hal stares at Batman with eyes wide, and then lets out a laugh. "That... that was a joke, right? You just made a joke?" He wipes actual tears of mirth from his eyes as he watches the man. "... You did, right? I can never tell with you."

Batman just looks at him. Then keeps on at driving.

Hal's mirth tapers off and he stares. "Yes, thank you for the feedback," he mutters, turning to the car window. He's silent for a few minutes, contemplating how he could get out of that car without sending a car door or window flying at 100kph at a civilian. "Please tell me this thing at least has music."

"Incredible. Tell me, what exactly would happen if you were exposed to silence for more than two minutes straight? Would you spontaneously combust?"

"No, I'd go into a psychotic break. But thanks for asking! Mental health is important." Hal is still staring out the windshield, the mock gratitude not even making it on his face, just in his voice.

In the stillness that follows, Hal considers that maybe that wasn't the thing to say. He thinks of the many times he's called Batman crazy--but not clinical crazy. He thinks of the man's Rogue Gallery of the mentally ill, and the general insanity of Gotham's crime. He sees, with a glance, the set to Batman's jaw.

He can't really tell much with that cowl on, but they've known each other long enough for him to tell when he's gone too far. Alright, that was off-color, but it wasn't that Hal is baiting him. Not this time, anyway. It's just that his brain-to-mouth filter is often not even there.

It's a painful silence, compared to the awkwardness of minutes ago. Hal endures the silence he caused for a minute before he murmurs, "You wouldn't have to hear me if there was music on."

And that was as close as he could get to acknowledging his mistake.

Batman accepts what may or may not have been an apology by extending what may or may not be an olive branch; he turns on the radio. The music sounds like something the Phantom of the Opera would put on a Playlist; even the radio DJs in Gotham are dramatic.

Hal accepts the message with relief, and bites back a comment on Batman's taste in music. We're going for a companionable silence here, Jordan--he tells himself. So he looks out the window, the edges of an amused grin appearing as he literally bites his lip.

"If you don't like this music feel free to change the channel," Bats said in a tone that did nothing to hide the challenge in his offer. It said: let's see you find something better to listen to.

Bats actually caring what Hal thought? Hal wonders at that for several seconds before leaning towards the radio.

"So the high-tech Batmobile still has a radio. Don't suppose you have an MP3 player..."

He flips through the stations anyway and settles on an upbeat pop rock song. "Sugar" by Maroon 5. Hal's grin turns obnoxious as he sits back.

"I tend to have more important things to worry about than music and MP3 players when I'm driving."

"You mean you don't play a theme song when you drive this thing? Now that's just a wasted opportunity." Hal isn't dancing in his seat, but he does slightly nod his head to the music, his mood greatly improved. "You're probably boring Robin out of his mind."

Batman's eye twitches. "Robin is mature enough to understand the importance of listening in to the police radio, instead of playing music while driving."

He ignores the shot at his maturity and tilts his head. "Yeah, I don't believe that, but don't tell me your kid doesn't have earphones."

Batman doesn't comment as the car approaches a tunnel leading directly to the Batcave. He makes the turn into the tunnel and starts driving faster.

So Hal lets a slow smile spread on his face, because he's right. He takes the silence for admission and refrains from voicing that thought out, because really it's the thought that matters. And his grin. Bruce would read it in his grin.

Batman stays silent, his irritation slowly growing almost tangible, but does nothing. Hal is prepared to call it a victory, until Bats gives no warning before breaking the car to a complete stand still. And Hal, having thought foolishly that there was no need for the Green Lantern to wear a seatbelt in an ally's car, was thrown right into the dashboard.

"Ow! Mutherfucker-!"

He scowls at Bats while still splayed across the car's front. That was definitely on purpose.

The eyes on his mask narrow. "I hope you know what you just started."

"You should've been wearing a seatbelt."

   


_Why was Hal not wearing a seatbelt? How did Bruce not notice Hal wasn't wearing a seatbelt? That is an unacceptable oversight, Hal could've died. Damnit, Bruce knows he needs to be better than this, at this point he deserves whatever Hal decides he has coming to him. Rather than communicating any of these thoughts and concerns, Batman silently gets out of the car and heads over to the computer._

   


Oh that statement makes it two, now. Hal jabs two fingers in Bats' direction, like the guy'll understand that. He huffs when Batman simply gets out, and then takes a second to check his ribs. They're fine, thanks to the ring's automatic protection. Still, Bruce is in for some payback one of these days. Revenge pranks are best served cold.

"I see you haven't redecorated."

Hal walks out of the car looking around at the expanse of darkness. He turns to Bruce just in time to see incredulity on that face--which he knows only because Batman has made that face countless times before. Usually when Hal is talking.

"Redecorating an area few other people use or see isn't exactly a priority."

"Like I said, you'd bore a kid out of his damn mind."

He's not sure how much patience Bruce has left for his irrelevant comments, so he tries to get right to work. Hal looks around for a chair--this will take a while-- but the only one he finds is the one Bats is using. So he parks his butt on the edge of the console. "Bad news: my ring isn't USB compatible."

Batman temples his fingers in front of him and takes a breath "So when you all but insisted on coming to the Batcave for use of the computer..."

Okay, definitely not much patience. "I have a plan, okay, don't get your panties in a twist. Do you have 3-D scanning cameras? Coz I was thinking, I could project my scans as constructs, and then you can scan them..."

Batman sighs quietly. Nonetheless, he turns on the scanners and swivels his chair to face Hal. "Go ahead."

Hal just assumes now that Batman has every piece of tech he expects on Earth (and then some), so it's not surprising he has the scanners in his cave.

"Okay. Great."

He points the ring at the closest, large empty space, and then a scene in green unfolds--until characters, like static, appear all over everything and obscure almost every shape.

"Shit. That's not-- Wait."

Hal dissolves the constructs and frowns at his ring. And then he flicks it, and points it again. The constructed scene forms properly: Bane surrounded by a dozen or so ninjas in fighting positions. Except they're encased in ice. A few of the room's objects are on the ground.

"I arrived after Clark just... well. Froze them all."

Bats gets out of his chair and walks around the constructed model, taking it in with his own eyes even as the scanners work. He comes to a stop in front of the ice-encased leader of the ninjas. "They're all incarcerated now, of course."

"Yup!" Hal answers quickly. Because he is not going to try to explain that whole thing. Clark can explain his own damn self to Batman. A new topic needed, then. "By the way, the scan has additional data, but I'm not sure how to get them. Chemical compositions? That could be useful, right? Like that guy--" He waves at a nearby ninja. "Who knows what he has in his pockets? Definitely not just change."

"Could you create a construct of a list of that information? It would be quicker to have the scanners copy a visual list than to have you read out your information while I enter it manually."

Hal blinks. He hasn't thought to do a list for chemicals and materials in 3-D. He's so used to having all that info in the ring that he didn't think other people could read it differently.

"Yeah, I can do that." He looks down at his ring, muttering to himself, and then to Batman, "Gimme a minute. It scanned every substance and material in that room and I'll have to filter."

He continues to stare down at his ring. Meanwhile Batman turns from the constructs he'd been studying and walks over to stand in front of him.

"Your ring is an interesting piece of technology, I would have a lot of questions about it if I could expect an eloquent answer."

All that staring is actually Hal "talking" to the ring, trying to give it proper parameters for a filter. Which is harder than it looks.

"You know this thing needs concentration," he grumbles. "That, that isn't helping." Hal is silent for a moment before adding, with a mocking tone, "I'll answer your questions if you asked me nicely."

Batman moves back to his seat at the computer. Surely he knows distracting Hal is only going to make this take longer. But that doesn't stop him from trying to get a rise out of Hal, to pass the time, maybe. "The key word in that sentence was 'eloquent'. You may not be familiar with it; but suffice to say, for all that you talk, I've never once known you to be eloquent."

Hal flicks his gaze up to Batman at that, because okay, guy wants to do this? Let's _do_ this. "Just because I don't talk like a Princeton graduate... I'm sorry I'm not fluent in the language of Pretentious Dick."

"Sometimes you barely seem to be fluent in English."

"Here's a bit of English: Go fuck yourself."

"A prime example of your ability to talk continuously without ever saying anything worth hearing."

"You believe that because the only sound you think worth listening to is your own voice."

"On the contrary, there are many sounds in this world worth listening to, it just happens that your inane comments aren't one of them. Of course, it wouldn't surprise me if you were simply projecting when you suggested that; you can never seem to get enough of hearing yourself speak."

Hal keeps a glare on him as he waves his hand, and several rows of text appear in mid air. The text is in English, not the alien script that overlapped his constructs before. He then stomps right up to Bruce's chair.

"If you think I'll just stalk off after doing you a goddamn favor, well, fuck you. I think I'll raid your fridge after all. And your bar, or whatever you rich fucks have."

"I'm sure Alfred would be happy to fix something for you" Batman says distractedly as he starts poring over the information that is already up on his computer screen.

Hal bristles at the dismissal, but decides he'll just make good on his promise. All these digs on his intelligence is worth at least a 20-year-old scotch. He can't help constructing a green hand flipping off Batman right in the man's face. And then he starts floating up the stairs to the mansion

   
  
  


Just when he thinks Jordan can't get any more childish, he has to go and do something like this.

"What was the point in going to all the trouble of giving me this information if you're going to make it impossible to read?"

Batman tries to see the screen around the glowing green hand Jordan has constructed right in his face. "Are you really that desperate for attention?"

Hal comes to a dead stop, and there is a pause where Bruce sees him tighten his fists-- _this should be an interesting explanation_ \-- then Hal turns to shout back. "Because everyone wants Batman's attention, right? See, that's your narcissism talking."

Okay, that was unexpected. Which means there's something Batman is missing here. Rising from his chair, he slowly starts walking toward Jordan while trying to puzzle out the man's response. "I didn't specify that it was my attention you were desperate for. Though I think it would have been a reasonable conclusion to come to considering the manifestation of your will that you chose to put directly in front of my face where I couldn't ignore it. Where I couldn't ignore you."

Hal's stance, in the air as it is, moves into position like he's expecting a blow. He puts on his deepest scowl and has a snarl in his voice as snaps, "Yeah, a big hand flipping you off. Don't hurt yourself thinking about it."

Batman tilts his head slightly to one side.

"You're angry?" He looks again at how Hal holds himself. "...You want me to think you're angry, so that I won't see the emotion you're hiding beneath the facade."

He walks close enough now that if Hal isn't in the air, they'd almost be nose to nose.

" _What_?" Hal breathes, and a scoff makes the word shudder out--which could be a nervous stutter or frustrated disbelief. He reels his head back. "Anger is just anger, Dr. Freud. If you think I'm hiding anything, it's that I'm half a second away from punching you in your smug mouth."

Hal grits his teeth, takes a breath. "You don't have to over-analyze everything, you obsessive, narcissistic psychopath!"

He definitely would punch him if Batman didn't find a way to diffuse the situation correctly. He's seen bombs that were easier to diffuse. Hal has called him narcissistic twice now, so ideally he should try to keep the focus on Hal and away from himself...not that that will necessarily stop Hal from lashing out...

Batman takes half a step backward and braces himself for the worst. "Alright, then why are you so angry?"

For a second Hal stares, like he can't believe what he's looking at, and then he lets out a laugh that sounds just a bit hysterical. The harsh look of his face hasn't relaxed.

"I'm angry, you asshole, because you spend years not giving a fuck what I say, and now you try to psychoanalyze me like you know me when you have _no idea_. I gotta know, are you asking, now of all times, because you know I can punch you? Or is it a _very_ interesting puzzle you just have to work out?"

Batman has had less confusing conversations with the Riddler. "You came all the way to the cave to give me the information on your ring, then when I tried to look at that information, you placed a construct in my face so I couldn't see it, and now you're angry because I asked why you did it? And what do you mean that you could punch me now of all times? There's never been anything stopping you..." Why did he say that? He should not be giving Hal ideas about punching him. "...You've always been puzzling to me Hal, if you honestly think this is the first time I've tried to make sense of you in all the years we've known each other, then you clearly haven't been paying attention."

Hal looks about to actually punch Bruce, for a second, but when he finishes talking Hal just stares again. The thoughtful look completely replaces his anger. He stares for several seconds, opens his mouth as if to say something... and then closes it. Hal looks up and stares thoughtfully at the ceiling for a little more, hands at his waist.

   


_Bruce was always a puzzle from the start, too; from that first night they went into the sewers. And Hal could be wrong, he could be totally wrong and have to stay in space for years for that mistake, but... He never did shy away from taking risks._

   


"'Interesting'," Hal says suddenly, voice calm, still looking up.

And then he lands on the ground in front of Bruce, looking right into his eyes. Well. At least Hal didn't punch him. But now he's standing very close. Close enough to be distracting. Possibly. Bruce can't exactly remember what he's being distracted from at the moment.

"Would that be the correct word to use?" Hal continues, "Not 'puzzling', 'interesting'."

"I think both would be correct; you're as interesting as you are puzzling. And like I said; I've always found you to be _very_...puzzling..."

A soft, pleased smile spreads on Hal's face, and his mask dissolves. Letting Bruce see him, read whatever he feels.

Batman's mind can process all manner of horrors and tragedy with almost alarming ease, but trying to make sense of the plethora of emotions he's hit with when he sees Hal's smile, his usually impressive mind shuts down.

"I find you _very_ interesting too. And Bruce? I'm not angry anymore. Just in case you were wondering."

This doesn't seem to be exactly the answer either of them wanted or expected, but this is good enough. Anything at all is good enough.

He should probably say something-- _that--_ but Bruce is not even entirely sure that he's still breathing. He opens his mouth to try to say something , but succeeds only in taking in a shaky breath.

Hal's eyes light up upon hearing that small sound. He pauses, and then looks back at Batman with an apprehensive smile. "Bruce. I'm going to do something, but promise me you won't punch me, okay?

Bruce is becoming mesmerised by the rare opportunity to see the way the light shifts in Hal's eyes. He tries to even his breathing. So often he and Hal have thrown words around too carelessly and caused all manner of problems between them, and Bruce can feel, in a sensation he doesn't fully understand, that this moment is too important to be careless, so instead he tilts his head forward in a nod.

Hal moves forward a little more, movements still hesitant. Remarkable, because the man can jump right into fighting giant space squids with his ring running low on power, but here he treads lightly. Hal raises a hand, making sure Bruce can see it, and cups it around the side of his neck, though can only touch the cowl, with it up like this. He shifts his hand a little higher, eyes trying to track what he can see of Bruce's face.

"You don't have to punch me, but you can stop me, okay?" And then Hal leans in, eyes open, gently touching his lips to Bruce's.

Batman's brain seems to have abandoned him in his hour of need, so Bruce does the only thing he can, and relies on instinct. He runs his fingertips gently from Hal's cheek to his jaw, closes his eyes, and kisses Hal back.

   
  
  


Hal feels a weight lift off his chest, finally, when Bruce kisses back. There's even a hand on his face, and he tries to tilt his jaw into it while kissing. The thing that replaces that weight, in his chest, swells. He isn't stupid enough to not know what it is. Hal pushes forward, pulling Bruce into him, his kissing getting bolder. He licks at Bruce's lips, but doesn't push. That might be a little more homo than Bruce can handle in one day. He smiles into the kiss, and then pulls back just a little, catching his breath as he touches his forehead to Bruce's. He wishes the cowl was off.

"Hey. You alright? You haven't talked. I didn't break you, did I?"

"You haven't broken anything...A lot of things are a lot less puzzling than they were before..." Bruce leans back to pull his cowl off and offers Hal something between a smirk and a smile "...and a lot more interesting." Bruce tugs off a glove and hesitantly runs his fingers through Hal's hair

Hal's eyelids drop as he returns the smile. While he lets Bruce wonder about his hair, he lets his glove--a construct like the rest of his uniform-- melt away so he can touch Bruce, too. He cups Bruce's cheek and rubs his finger over the strong cheekbones. And then the eyebrows. It's probably a weird thing to be fixated on, but he rarely ever sees those, and they're curious looking eyebrows. Bruce, thankfully, allows Hal's wandering hands. He even seems to enjoy it.

"Hey, Bruce," Hal whispers. "I want to keep kissing you."

Bruce curls the fingers that were running through Hal's hair into a loose fist, and gently uses the hold to tilt Hal's face closer; guiding him into another soft kiss. Hal hums into it, one hand at the back of Bruce's neck and the other brushing at the armor at Bruce's waist. It's a slow, gentle affair, a lot slower than he's used to, but he likes it nonetheless. Hal speeds it up only to slide his lips down Bruce's jaw. Bruce shivers slightly and tilts his head back. The hand in Hal's hair tightens, and his other hand comes to rest on Hal's lower back, holding him closer.

Hal suddenly realizes this could go further than he intended. It's not just Bruce-- the shiver made him dart out a tongue, and the hand in his hair made him tighten his own fingers in the hair on Bruce's nape. He returns his lips to Bruce's mouth--always a pleasure, that--before he pulls back again.

"Sorry," he murmurs, sounding a lot more breathless than before. He tries a smile. "We have to stop here or it'll go further than an introduction."

Bruce blinks, looking slightly dazed and confused. "Why do we have stop?"

Hal watches him and considers his own questions. 'Have you actually gotten off with another man before?' or 'will seeing a dick that isn't yours send you running?' Eventually he realizes those aren't as important as "Do you want to stop?"

   


_Even now Hal is endlessly perplexing. Why would he think Bruce wants to stop when_ he _was the one that brought things to a standstill? Or, is this Hal's way of saying that....what? That he's changed his mind? It hurts more than Bruce would care to dwell on. Removing his hands from Hal's body and stepping away hurt more than than a stab wound, and Bruce would know. He now regrets having removed the cowl._

   


It's funny how much he can see, without the cowl. Is it just the cowl or is Bruce just more open to him, now? Hal can't wonder about that, because right now _he's ruining this_. He grabs Bruce's hand and tries to meet his gaze. "Hey, no. Why do you look like that?"

Bruce looks away, stares at the floor as if staring at Hal's hand holding his would only add to the overwhelming wave of confusion he's clearly caught in "What are you doing, Hal?"

Hal takes a moment to think because jeezus, he needs a book on how to interpret Bruce. He doesn't let go of the hand, though, and he's thankful Bruce doesn't snatch it away. "What I'm doing... I'm trying not to scare you away."

Bruce manages to bring himself to look Hal in the eye again. He looks more confused now than ever.

Hal sighs and brushes his thumb over Bruce's knuckles. "I want this. You. More than you can ever know, trust me. But I'm not sure how far you want this to go, Bruce."

"I really, really, did not need to see that!"

Hal jumps at the sudden sound--because _Christ_ , the little Bats can creep up on you-- but thankfully doesn't drop Bruce's hand. Because that would be a mistake.

Babs had walked in, full Batgirl, eyes wide as she stared at the two of them.

"...or hear that!"

"I thought they were supposed to be subtle," Hal mutters.

Bruce doesn't even pull the cowl back on when he turns to give Barbara the full brunt of the Bat Glare. "Out. Now."

Hal, too, turns to her and says levelly, "Hey, Babs. You just ruined a prime moment, but that's fine. Just walk away before you get _two_ superheroes mad as hell at you."

Babs instantly disappears without a trace. One of her better ideas.

   


_The untimely interruption did nothing to calm Bruce's racing mind. Hal wanted this. But Barbara's appearance only served to remind him of the almost infinite number of reasons this was a terrible idea; it wasn't just his own safety Bruce had to consider here. Still....'I'm not sure how far you want this to go'...Hal was going to let Bruce set the pace, the limits. Maybe they could have this. Maybe they could have something at least, but..."We would need to be careful."_

   


For a minute, as Bruce stayed quiet and thoughtful, Hal thought he would call it off. If there was anything that could convince Batman to give up something, it was the safety and regard of the people under his protection. So when Bruce simply says they have to be careful, Hal lets out a chuckle and holds in his sigh of relief. Whatever Bruce was giving him, that was still enough.

"Not in the cave then," he jokes, but he knows what Bruce meant.

Bruce frowns. "This isn't a laughing matter Hal." He briefly searches Hal's face. Apparently finding what he was looking for, his facial expression comes to rest in looking at Hal like he's an idiot. 

"That's because nothing's ever a laughing matter to you," Hal chimes back, but there's no bite to it. He does sigh, now, and adds, "I get it: no one knows, no funny business in the Watchtower, no sudden visits to Bruce Wayne. I'm actually familiar with this kinda thing." Which is to say being bisexual in the air force during Don't Ask Don't Tell was an educational experience. "I do get to check you out in costume, though? I already do that."

Naturally, Bruce just ignores his joking."That... _would_ be the most efficient way of doing this. Certainly we can't afford to have the Green Lantern seen visiting Bruce Wayne, and it would certainly be ideal to keep as many of our enemies out of the loop as possible..."

Bruce places his hands lightly over Hal's hips and gently pulls him into what might have been a hug, though if it was a hug it was a more possessive gesture than the average hug tends to be.

"I'm not sure we need to make sure that _no one_ knows, that could cause more problems than it would solve."

Hal smirks at him and places his arms around Bruce's shoulders. It would almost be like they were dancing.

"So we pick a few people that can keep our secret? Your entire house probably already knows. Barbara wasn't exactly quiet, and I'm betting your family has great hearing."

Hal sways a little, as if they were in a dance and tilts his head in thought. "... You have to tell Clark," he says after a pause. Clark would definitely find out. And Hal wasn't sure he could stand the raw reaction to that.

"It would be best to tell the more discrete members of the League and those with whom we work closest, better to have them working with all the variables than to misjudge a situation because we failed to supply them with sufficient information" The voice of experience.

Bruce looks down at Hal's swaying hips, as though he isn't entirely sure why Hal has decided that they're dancing now. But, hey, it doesn't even reach the top 10 most unexpected things to happen today, so he'd better let it happen.

"I have no idea how you think us screwing would factor into a League mission, but ok."

Hal watches Bruce's face, thinking how the man is now back to being calculating and being _Batman_ and how it was really nice to get him speechless in a more interesting way.

"But that's not the term, is it, screwing? We're actually in a relationship? Because I wouldn't blame you if you just wanted to hit this; I have a great ass."

   
  
  


Is Hal just trying to confuse him on purpose now?

Every time Bruce thinks they're on the same page Hal says something like this and throws him off completely. Maybe Bruce would be better off filtering out the words and focus on considering Hal's body language; that at least seems to be consistently readable...

...The smile Hal wore when Bruce hinted at his interest, the hesitant way he moved when they kissed, the desperate way he grasped his hand the last time he managed to leave Bruce wrong-footed with his confusing words...

Whatever he might say, Hal definitely isn't 'screwing' around.

But if he still thought that Bruce was, Bruce needed to find a way to explain, a way that Hal would understand, just how serious he was.

He slides his hands up from Hal's hips all the way up to his jaw and holds the man's face, hoping that at least some of what he wanted to say would come across in his eyes.

For the the rest of the message, he kisses Hal as intently as he can.

Hal seems to decide that it's impossible to keep up the flippant attitude when confronted with the brunt of Bruce's intense look. Even if he did manage to bring a joke to mind, the kiss shuts him up effectively. Hal matches the intensity, wrapping his arms tightly around Bruce and pressing their bodies together. It's a message of his own, and Bruce does seem to be good at the nonverbal.

He and Hal finally seem to be on the same page. Just one last thing and hopefully they can do away with verbal communication for a while. Bruce pulls back just far enough to articulate. "Considering we've already been interrupted here once, might I suggest we move to somewhere more private to continue this conversation?"

Hal lets out an easy laugh. "Am I doing something wrong here? You're still able talk in complete sentences." Although _that_ was a complete sentence. Hal rocks his hips against Bruce's. "Yeah, come on. Let's fix that."

As if he didn't have encouragement enough already. Bruce makes short work of getting Hal and himself up to the Master Bedroom of the manor in the shortest and most discrete route possible. No more interruptions.

   
  
  


Hal was chuckling the whole way to the bedroom because Bruce was bringing him to the _Master Bedroom_. It is a classy move, he has to admit, but _damn_ the man's patience. Hal would've taken the cave's chair if they had to. But maybe Bruce knows what he is doing, because as soon as the door closes, he practically tackles the man, his ring flashing once and removing the uniform. Underneath he's in probably-dirty overalls--he honestly doesn't remember anymore-- but who cares.

Bruce forgot to take off the Batsuit while he was in the Cave. That's going to be problematic later. How was he so distracted that he forgot that? Hal gets a bit distracted too as Bruce gets to work at removing the overalls .

Hal pulls his arms out of his clothes while Bruce tugs them off, but he eventually growls in frustration when he can't find catches in the batsuit. "How the hell do you take this off?!"

Bruce wordlessly undoes the three main catches holding his suit and belt on, and the entire thing falls to the floor.

Hal lets out a laugh because--well, everything just seems funny. Also those catches are convenient if you know where they are. Since Bruce seems to do a better job of undressing himself, Hal switches to taking off his own clothes. He kicks his overalls the rest of the way off, and shoves his boxers down without preamble. His undershirt he leaves for last-- pulling it up and over his head in a routine show of his stretched torso--before whipping it off and tossing it behind him.

Bruce hasn't taken off much else in the meantime; seems he'd taken the time to enjoy the little show Hal made of undressing. Hal smirks at the sight of the wandering gaze. He knows the view Bruce must have once all the clothes are out of the way. Then Bruce pounces; biting and kissing his way along Hal's jaw toward his ear, while trying to explore the feeling of every inch of Hal his hands can reach.

There's something funny about Batman acting like an overeager Labrador, but Hal isn't complaining. Even when he stumbles back and hits a wall. He lets out a breathless "fuck!" but doesn't stop fitting their bodies together, hands trying to touch everything.

Bruce uses the wall behind Hal for balance and gets his hands under Hal's thighs to lift him up, moving to bite his way across Hal's chest as he does.

For a second Hal growls at the loss of friction--he'd begun humping Bruce's thigh before he was lifted off the ground. But he quickly finds leverage by pressing his upper back onto the wall and arching into Bruce, his legs clinging to the man's waist. Bruce just seems to take that force without budging, so Hal grins toothily and grinds.

Bruce gets his grip right and starts walking backward to the bed, then Hal's movement throws off his balance and he ends up falling on the bed, flat on his back, with Hal on top of him. This was probably not part of the plan.

Hal doesn't even slow down, just keeps rubbing his cock on every crevice he can find on Bruce's crotch. He leans down and sucks at Bruce's neck and then whispers, "Sorry. Been a while." He adds a nip before continuing, "This is gonna be embarrassingly quick."

"I take it back" Bruce gusts out as he shifts to get his legs under him for some leverage. "You're significantly _too_ eloquent." Legs in place, Bruce presses his hips up against Hal's.

Talking isn't his goal, so Hal refrains from replying and just groans. Pretty soon even the grinding isn't enough and he grits his teeth.

"Bruce," he moans. "Get your hands on me."

Bruce reaches back for the bedside draw but can't reach from where he is. "Lubricant. Second draw"

Hal groans in complaint but moves anyway, crawling over Bruce to get to the drawer. He finds the lube quickly and tosses it onto the bed.

He feels Bruce's hands run over his back and thighs as he moves above him, and once the lube is on the bed, Bruce makes use of their positions, grabbing Hal's hips and shifting him until Bruce gets his mouth on Hal's cock.

Hal gasps and falls on his hands, bending over Bruce's face and doing his best not to thrust. "Fuck, _Bruce_."

It's unbelievable, what Bruce is doing: bracing his elbows to take the weight, and keeping Hal's hips right where he wants them. Which is close enough to his face that he can deepthroat Hal with minimal excess effort. Hal is quickly reduced to a gasping, muttering mess, his thighs quivering from the effort to stay still.

"Holy _fuck_ \--you can do that--you--how are you--" And he wasn't wrong; it didn't take long. "Shit-- get-- _Bruce_ \--you're gonna--"

Bruce just shifts his arms to lift Hal up, but not away, so that only the head of his cock is still in Bruce's mouth, then he licks. Very slowly.

"Fuuuck...!" It comes out as a quiet gasp, despite all his talking leading up to it. Hal goes taut and spills into Bruce's mouth. Bruce swallows it all, then Hal feels himself being rolled to lie on his side. He sees Bruce watching him, probably taking a good look at the state he's been left in. Hal blinks and watches back.

"Huh," Hal ponders, panting lightly and feeling blitzed out. He'd have moved himself, but his limbs feel like jelly. "You...I mean this in the best way, by the way... You can _really_ suck cock."

Bruce doesn't reply, but doesn't seem to object either. Hal figures Bruce knows he's appreciated. He idly runs his fingers up and down Hal's side. His voice sounds a bit odd after the workout his throat just went through, but his tone is casual, even if his gaze on Hal's face isn't "I wonder, what would it take to fuck you speechless..?"

Hal gives him a lewd grin. "Why don't we find out?"

He runs his own hand over Bruce's hip, and then down to the heavy cock he hopes is getting inside him.

"This guy looks like he's up for it," he jokes, fingers brushing up and down the length.

For a moment Bruce seems to want to reply to that-- from experience he knows this is when Bruce says something about Hal lacking the ability to shut the hell up. But the comment goes unsaid, and Bruce shifts closer into his touch, running his hand up to grasp at Hal's shoulder.

Hal gets a proper grip, but keeps his touch light. He finds the lube and shifts closer to Bruce. "I take it you know how to prep me?"

Bruce breaths out a groan and nods in answer to the question. He grabs for the lube, uncaps it, applies a more than liberal amount to his fingers, possibly because he remembers Hal saying 'It's been a while'. The lubricant doesn't need warming up before he trails his fingers lightly down the crevice of Hal's rear.

Hal hums and shifts even closer to kiss Bruce's shoulder. Now that he's relaxed he can enjoy slowly getting the both of them ready. He wonders where and how Bruce learned to do this--especially the blowjob skills, that was top notch--but decides that isn't what he should be thinking about while doing this.

He then shifts his hand on Bruce's cock, not tightening but instead cupping it, the heel of his hand rubbing at the tip as he pushes it towards Bruce's stomach. Bruce clearly tries to keep his breathing even and his control in place as he gently strokes his fingertips repeatedly over Hal's hole.

Hal lets his breath gust out and softly moans, hoping that's enough encouragement for Bruce. He keeps his hand moving gently and slowly, and then gets his other hand between them to splay on Bruce's chest. Partly it's to feel Bruce's heartbeat, but it's also because he just wants to touch.

   
  
  


Between Hal's soft moans and gentle hands, Bruce is being driven to desperation in his attempt to keep himself under control. He needs to keep his touch slow if he's going to be sure not to hurt Hal. Groaning with the effort, Bruce holds the rest of his body completely still so he can focus entirely on the finger now slowly entering Hal's body.

Hal lets out another moan at the intrusion, but it's not a noise of pain. He keeps his eyes open like he's forcing himself to watch Bruce carefully--and then allows himself a small smile when he sees Bruce is a lot more affected than he looks. He lets off on Bruce's cock, leaving only a finger stroking up and down.

"Don't like me touching you?" he asks with a quirk of his lips.

Bruce lets out what can only be described as an embarrassing whine and screws his eyes shut. A tremor starts running through his entire body in his attempt to remain still.

Hal's lips part as he stares. "Baby, are you holding back for me?" He moves his finger to the base of Bruce's cock, lets his fingers play around it, and down to Bruce's trembling thighs.

And just like that Bruce forgets how to think. Which is a lucky thing, or he'd probably otherwise be slightly mortified that he managed to choke on his own breath at the easy way the term of endearment rolled of Hal's tongue, and the sweetness of the question and tone.

Hal seems to settle for just lightly running his nails on Bruce's inner thighs, and then digs a knee into the bed to get a little leverage, pushing back against Bruce's finger.

"Come on. Want you in there," he rasps.

Bruce takes a few deep breaths and scrabbles for self-control. Once he has his breathing and body in check, he slowly starts moving his finger further in.

Hal's hand stops for a second as he lets out another long breath, his voice coming out in a shuddering "haaah".

It's not surprising that a man who never stops talking would be verbal in bed. What is surprising is how....intoxicating the sounds he makes are. Bruce presses his finger in all the way to the knuckle, then strokes slowly around inside, looking for Hal's prostate. Maybe he can get some more interesting sounds from him.

Hal lets out hums that catch in throat, and his hands give up on the careful and gentle control they had on Bruce's crotch. They instead just grab and rub, fingers digging into Bruce's hips as if he'd anchor himself with that.

And then Bruce's finger actually brushes his prostate. Hal lets out a sound that could only be described as a whine.

Bruce makes a sound not entirely unlike a satisfied purr and gently bites at Hal's neck, curious as to whether he'll be able to feel the noise escaping Hal's throat, as he presses against his prostate more firmly.

Hal just shouts at that one--a short, cut off yell as he squeezes Bruce's hip and throws his head back, looking like he could get off--again-- just from that.

It's an even better reaction than Bruce hoped for. He nuzzles up from Hal's neck to breath out against his ear "You're so beautiful" then leans his head back so he can watch Hal move as he presses again.

And does Hal move. He scrabbles at Bruce's skin as he lets out another shout--not as loud, but punctuated by a sob at the end. "Bruce! _God_ ," he all but begs

Bruce really needs to get on with it before he loses himself in Hal's voice. He presses a fervent kiss to Hal's lips while carefully sliding his finger out far enough to make room for a second finger to enter.

Hal moans into the kiss and his hands wander again. He blindly reaches back to Bruce's slippery hand, and gets some slick on his own. Then he brings that hand back to rub Bruce's cock in his palm. It surprises Bruce enough to accidentally bite Hal's lip whilst letting out a startled moan. He presses a number of soft, quick kisses on Hal's lip in apology. He needs to pay more attention. With that in mind, Bruce is alert and aware to Hal's every reaction as he slowly scissors his fingers.

   
  
  


Hal pulls back a bit from Bruce's licking at his lips so he can feel around for a wound with his tongue. There's a break in the skin, but nothing worse than he's had with an overeager kisser.

"Remind me to give you a heads up when I--" The vulgar end of that sentence gets cut off as he moans low in his throat, biting his lip as his lids drop. In the next second he hisses--it hurts sometimes, especially when it's been long enough. Was it years, now?

Bruce winces and draws his fingers back together. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just... slower." Hal stays still with those fingers in him, but he tries to reassure Bruce with a smile. "I'm okay, Babe, you can keep going."

Bruce frowns slightly and slowly withdraws his fingers "Could you lie on your back?"

He raises a brow at that -- and the fact that Bruce pulled out.

"I did say I'm okay," he says, but lies on his back anyway as he watches Bruce curiously.

"It should be easier like this" Bruce props himself on one elbow and watches Hal's face. He reaches over to bend Hal's leg furthest from him at the knee, runs his hand along Hal's thigh, and lets fingers brush over Hal's cock before returning to his hole.

Hal groans, eyelids fluttering, and spreads his legs a little more, and...Oh, his hole really does relax a little more naturally. Also, he has leverage. He pushes on the bed with his bent leg and lifts himself a little--Oh yes, he's going to like this. Hal gazes at Bruce's face and raises a hand to cup his cheek. Bruce will never know, but all this consideration for his ass is actually really sweet to him. Prep had never been so careful and slow going, to him. It was usually just something he and his partners needed done. So, all this? It made him smile at Bruce.

Bruce face relaxes into an answering smile that he doesn't seem aware of. "Beautiful."

Hal feels lucky, and it's not because he has Batman's fingers up his ass. It's because Batman's face is opening up and the man is looking so adoringly at him. He's feeling warm and suddenly struck with the overwhelming urge to kiss the man, so he slips his hand around Bruce's head to pull him in for a kiss.

   


_Bruce let's Hal pull him into a lingering kiss through which he tries to express without words all the warm feelings that overwhelm him when Hal smiles, tries to express that nothing, no one, has ever made Bruce feel this way before. Certainly not this intensely._

   


Oh no, this is big, Hal thinks, because Bruce is kissing him with all the tenderness and emotion he can muster, and Hal is kissing back in the same. It terrifies him, what'll happen next. What he can't even imagine is scaring him, and he realizes he's trembling a few seconds into the kiss

Bruce pulls back from the kiss, and studies his face in confusion. "Hal?"

"Fine," he says immediately, gaze cast downwards. "Just..." _Being an unbelievable fuckup._ "...cold. Sheets?"

Bruce frowns in concern. "Do you...want to stop?"

He sounds like he's done something wrong. Hal looks at him.

Christ, he's doing this with Bruce's fingers up his ass. _What the hell, Jordan_. Well, no better time to be honest, he supposes.

"No. No, Bruce. Don't ever stop, even when I'm being like this, because I actually really _like_ you and that's going to scare me a lot. Probably for a long time. I--" He takes a breath after having said that too fast. "I'm just a little fucked up. No big."

Bryce still looks confused. "You're.....scared because you like me...?" He glances at the position they're in ".......Are you....just realising that _now_?"

Well, of course not, Bruce, I realized I love you months ago and I actually loved you probably longer than that. It's just scary for some reason and because you like me just as strongly. That's a scary thing to the man who has no fear. Says Hal, never. He bites his lip and then sighs. "Of course not, B. That's ridiculous. I'm in bed with you, for Christ's sake. Can we just go back to having sex? Is that a thing we can still do?"

"Are you sure you want to? You weren't only okay with this when you thought it was just sex without feelings involved?"

The warmth that softened Bruce's eyes has turned cold. Is this how it's always going to be between them? Every time they get caught up in the passion of a moment, they get stopped short because evidently, Bruce is right-- Hal hasn't got a shred of eloquence.

He holds Bruce's face between his hands and looks him in the eye.

"Bruce, I want this. I've said that. I'm just going to be...weird...about it. I _want_ you. Do you believe me?"

"That doesn't answer my question. You've said you 'want this' but...I don't know any more what it is you mean by that. What is it you want Hal?"

"I..."

He pauses, thinks back on what has happened this entire night. They'd kept leaving it to actions, and that works, that really works for them. Except Hal is such a fuckup that whenever his mouth opens, he manages to undo whatever progress they were making. _Can you just stop, Jordan?_

"...I'm ruining this," he agonizes. This is what Carol was saying, isn't it? "I don't know how to stop _ruining_ it. Bruce. I want you smiling at me, I want you letting me see your face and how absolutely _beautiful_ it is when you let it show passion. I want you taking a fuckload of time just opening me up just because-" He starts holding back a laugh at how _ridiculous_ he sounds. "-- because you _care_. I-"

 _Oh shit that's not a laugh._ He stops himself, blinking quickly.

In reply, Bruce slowly withdraws his fingers and wraps Hal up in his arms, just holds him tightly. "You're really terrible at explaining things."

Hal shuts his eyes. That laugh comes out after all, but it's shaky and threatens to be wracked by sobs.

"But I thought I was doing great that time."

"I'll admit, neither of us have set the bar very high" Bruce threads his fingers through Hal's hair and starts absent-mindedly petting.

Hal sighs and leans into that hand, relaxes in Bruce's arms. He hopes this will work, even with both of them-- mostly Hal-- being like this.

"We're the two worst people to be doing this, aren't we." He sounds resigned to that idea, but... he hopes.

"Absolutely. This is a terrible idea for more reasons than I could list." Bruce doesn't stop gently petting.

"But we're doing it anyway because we're idiots."

"Speak for yourself. I'm doing this anyway because..." His voice gets quieter, he turns to muffle his words against Hal's hair. "...because you're beautiful when you smile."

Hal hides a smile against Bruce's shoulder. "So that's why you get grumpier when I smile at League meetings."

Bruce just huffs and tugs lightly at Hal's hair. Hal chuckles softly, closes his eyes, while Bruce pulls the bed covers over the both of them with minimal fuss.

Hal doesn't notice when he completely relaxes into the covers and Bruce's warmth and just... drifts off.

   
  
  


Bruce notices Hal's breathing even out. Did he..? Hal fell asleep. Bruce's chest fills up with even more warm, soft emotions than before. Obviously he knew Hal trusted him, but that Hal felt comfortable enough in Bruce's home, in Bruce's arms that he could fall asleep...It feels similar to the lightness Bruce feels in his chest when his children smile, or when the older boys refer to the Manor as 'home'. A feeling like home, and family, and....oh. Love. That explains a lot. But it means they're going to have to be even more careful than Bruce had realised.

So, he strokes his hand down Hal's hair and back, and makes use of this time to plan ahead, to figure out everything that needs to be done for him to keep Hal safe.

Hal continues to sleep quietly in his arms.

After some time, Bruce notices the shift in Hal's breathing indicating that he's woken up. He brushes his lips against Hal's forehead in a light kiss.Hal hums and buries his nose in Bruce's skin.

"S'ry." he mumbles. "Was possibly too tired. Came from space. Was I out long?"

"About twenty minutes. What were you doing in space before coming here?"

"Patrol," Hal grumbles. "And then I found a planetary government getting its own populace addicted to a dangerous drug for profit."

He's being unusually forthcoming about details of his job. Bruce hums thoughtfully.

"When I saw you tonight, I was on my way back from dealing with a case connected to a potentially government-funded drug ring. Perhaps crime and corruption are universal."

Hal agrees with a groan. "Our jobs are such downers."

"It's not too bad if you have someone worth fighting for to come home to." Bruce murmurs, mind possibly elsewhere. He starts stroking Hal's hair again, though he doesn't seem entirely aware that he's doing it.

Hal raises his head--unfortunately halting the pleasing movement of his hand in that soft hair-- and smiles in amusement.

"Smooth." Hal props up on his elbows to watch Bruce, for a moment. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Bruce looks over to Hal whose hair he has left delightfully mussed. "We're going to have to be much more careful than I'd initially realised."

Hal raises a brow. "How'd you figure that?"

"I would explain but...I don't want to scare you again."

"Nope, come on. Lemme hear it."

He gazes at Hal, his mind visibly at work as he searches for words. "I...can't...lose you."

Hal looks at him thoughtfully. "Babe, I'm the Green Lantern."

Bruce knows that any real threat to Hal is in space, light-years away from his reach of control. From anyone's reach of control. But...

"I know, that isn't....Just...be careful." Bruce reaches for Hal's hand, strokes his fingers lightly across the knuckles before brushing a soft kiss in the same place. "I need you...to be careful. I can't...I just need you to be okay." It's hard to explain without using the words Bruce is fairly certain will send Hal running.

Hal's gaze softens, and he rests his head on Bruce's shoulder, strokes Bruce's hair. "I know."

Bruce sighs, wrapping his arms around Hal. He can only hope that Hal does know what he meant. He rakes his fingers up and down Hal's back rhythmically. It doesn't really matter whether or not Hal fully understands that he's in love with him, as long as he stays alive and well, that would be enough.

   
  
  


He lets out a satisfied sigh at the touch and shifts closer, an arm and leg sliding over Bruce's body. Bruce is a cuddler, which had surprised him, but he's thankful he gets to be touched. Bruce resettles himself, too. The hand on Hal's back starts moving slower and slower.

Bruce finally falls asleep. The man had most likely stayed awake, probably thinking about all the ways this could end badly, during Hal's short nap. Seriously, he can't believe Bruce had gotten more paranoid in those twenty minutes...well, okay he can totally see that happening, because Batman. Hal figures Bruce's thinking has stopped, for now. That's good, he thinks, feeling giddy and warm. He merely closes his eyes and joins his man in sleep.

 

**Author's Note:**

> The end? The RP is still ongoing but it's with a loooot of other people and I dunno if I can organize that into a single coherent storyline.


End file.
